Today, The News-Press editorial board reveals its endorsements for two mayoral races as well as three ward seats in Fort Myers and two district seats in Cape Coral for the Sept. 12 primary.

The editorial board's choices are the result of two weeks worth of interviews with 22 candidates, background checks, a review of questionnaires and input from citizen members of the board and editors of The News-Press.

We discussed contaminated lime sludge dumped in a South Street neighborhood over 50 years ago and now being investigated by the DEP, affordable housing, public safety throughout the city and the Midtown commercial and residential project with mayoral and ward candidates in Fort Myers. We had candid discussions with mayoral and district candidates on the top issues in Cape Coral, including a proposed 600 home development on the old golf course site, tax rate reductions, commercial development and LCEC contract negotiations over a new 30-year franchise agreement.

We came away impressed with the knowledge and vision of many of the candidates and we were disappointed with several others.

Our choices reflect the viewpoints of the board and are intended only to help voters make more informed choices as they vote by mail, in early voting or on the day of the primary election.

Our endorsements:

Fort Myers City Council

Fort Myers Mayor: Curtis Sheard

He has a military background, leading men and women and dealing with complex and large budgets. He is invested in his community as a small business owner. He wants to improve the lives of residents, especially children. Curtis Sheard receives our endorsement for Fort Myers mayor over two-term incumbent Randy Henderson.

Also in the race is Nicole Dillon.

Sheard, 44, is committed to developing the Dunbar area and sustaining small business growth. He believes the budding medical marijuana industry in Florida is a good place to start for future business as more companies look to grow, cultivate, sell and transport the product. “We have an opportunity to create an opportunity,” Sheard said. “It can be a tax resource."

Banking off the success of Dunbar High School,ranked as the top school in the country for Microsoft software applications,he wants to attract more tech businesses to the area. He wants to find creative solutions to attract retiring baby boomers back into business.

As a youth sports coach and director, Sheard is committed to improving opportunities for children through programs and better parks facilities. “Our children are so susceptible to music, to television, to outside forces. There are drugs and violence," he said. "We have to provide a safe environment for these kids and be positive role models. We need creative types of facilities where families can be involved.

We support his plan to finish McCollum Hall as a possible business and social destination and focus on other needs in east Fort Myers, like land use restrictions along Martin Luther King, the need for a laundry, bank and ATM.

We like his idea of moving the start time for city council meetings from 4:30 p.m. to later in the day so more people can attend and offer input.

Our background check on Sheard did reveal tax liens, but we believe he was working to resolve those issues.

The Fort Myers Mayoral Candidates talked with the News-Press editorial board about why they want the position and what their top priority will be if elected.
Andrea Melendez/news-press.com

The city was not proactive enough with residents over the toxic sludge issue. He wants increased and improved testing for those residents who do not have water filtration systems and dangerous metal piping.

He supports Fort Myers Police Chief Derrick Diggs and wants to give him sufficient time to implement his plan and address the 32 recommendations from the Freeh Report, which was commissioned by the city and detailed a toxic culture within the police department.

Henderson is not the right leader for this time or for the future of the city. He has not answered the calls of residents, especially those in Dunbar, constantly frustrated and angry over the violence in the community, lack of action by the police department over solving violent crime and over the sludge issue. There is no major plan to redevelop the area to make it more attractive for businesses and residents who seek nice, affordable housing.

We have called on him to apologize to the people for the city's past mistakes – many of those listed in the Freeh report and pointing to a toxic culture within the police department. He says he cares and is addressing their concerns. It’s tough to see. “I have reached out to minorities often,” he told the editorial board. “I am concerned for all citizens, minorities. The kinds of things described in the Freeh Report were disheartening for me.”

He has been effective in developing the downtown area, bringing new business. And the Midtown project has promise if council is proactive in getting residents involved in developing the plan.

Henderson loves his city and is invested in it. He was elected mayor at a difficult time when the city was changing from a strong mayor form of government to one administered by a city manager. He was a model leader during the transition.

Fort Myers Ward 3: Minnie Jackson

Her knowledge of budgets during past roles as a health system administrator and devotion and passion for a city she has called home for 43 years are among the reasons Minnie Jackson receives our endorsement in Ward 3 over incumbent Terolyn Watson, and Crystal Johnson and Mildred Barnes.

Watson was not considered for the endorsement because she failed to make her designated interview time with the board, a time that was pre-arranged at her request. Barnes, who lost races for council seats in 2013 and 2015, also declined to be interviewed.

We like that Jackson, 71, who also received the editorial board’s endorsement for the Lee Health board last year but lost the race, wants to focus on teenagers in her ward, offering more recreational and education opportunities for them, especially those living in the low-income, high-crime areas. “Not everybody can be a professional football player, or a professional basketball player,” she said, “but everybody can be educated.”

Her top priority is fixing roads, many in her ward falling in disrepair. She wants to grow small business. She wants to inspire young residents to become educated and return to the community to help enrich those businesses.

Fort Myers Ward 3 Candidates talked with the News-Press editorial board about why they want the position and what their top priority will be if elected.
Andrea Melendez/news-press.com

She knows the needs of her ward, but she also believes in a collaborative approach to the city, working with her colleagues to build priorities for the community and then negotiating what is in the best interests of all residents.

She knows her ward has changed through the years, many who lived there for decades now gone. She knows hard economic times, distrust with policing and other issues, sent many to other communities. “I would like to see the people come back,” she said. "People need to develop trust with the chief and the police department.”

Johnson also plays an active role in the community, working with the homeless and children. “I am dedicated to bringing about change,” she said. “I have created a lot of partnerships along the way and I am dedicated to the community. One voice does make the difference."

Ward 5: Joel Moroney

As a former The News-Press reporter, covering Fort Myers, he knows how to ask tough questions and focus on accountability over economic challenges facing the city. As the current owner of a pizza business along McGregor Boulevard, he also is aware of the economic challenges facing a small business owner. For those reasons, and others, Moroney receives The News-Press endorsement for Ward 5.

This was a difficult choice for the board because of the qualities of two other candidates – Lydia Lowell-Sherman and Steve Hooper – who were impressive in offering solutions to not only help their ward, but all of the city. Fred Burson also is a candidate for the Ward 5 seat.

The board saw Moroney, 44, as energetic, able to draw on his city knowledge from his days as a journalist and as a good communicator. He also gave the board the indication he could be standoffish, something that could alienate other council members, but the board also believes that potential character flaw could be corrected.

We liked that Moroney, a resident of the ward for 10 years, is concerned with the number of top administrators who have left the city and the need to bring in dynamic leadership to help City Manager Saeed Kazemi. Moroney is concerned Kazemi is trying to run an 859-employee operation by himself and is struggling. He also wants to consider outsourcing some of the responsibility to engineering firms with strong backgrounds in community development.

Fort Myers Ward 5 Candidates talked with the News-Press editorial board about why they want the position and what their top priority will be if elected.
Andrea Melendez/news-press.com

He wants to see the city author five- and 10-year development plans for not only the Midtown project, but also for Palm Beach and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards. “And if you don’t fund those plans, it is just a dream,” Moroney said.

Public safety and relationships built between Police Chief Derrick Diggs, the department and the community remain his top priority. He also believes in fair treatment for redevelopment and infrastructure projects throughout the community, but also doesn't want to delay the Midtown project, believing it “is the best chance for capitalizing on downtown development.”

Moroney is married to Sally Evans Moroney, an account executive with The News-Press.

The board was encouraged by Lowell-Sherman’s priority of transparency, believing the city mishandled the dumping of toxic sludge. She also believes information was slow to surface on McGregor Boulevard construction work. She wants to the city to reinvest in affordable housing, but also wants the city out of the business of subsidizing projects, like, for years, Harborside Event Center and City of Palms Park.

Hooper, who has a background in law, also was impressive with his vision for affordable housing and involving Habitat for Humanity in more projects, wanting more public transparency from Diggs, continuing to focus on the arts and improved transparency over commercial and residential development plans on the city’s website.

Cape Coral City Council

Cape Coral Mayor: Joe Coviello

He listens. He knows the city budget. He believes in expanded public-private partnerships. Those were some of the comments from the editorial board about Joe Coviello. He receives the board’s endorsement for Cape Coral mayor.

Coviello was selected among three candidates we considered to be impressive with their vision for the city and knowledge of the issues. The other two were current council member Rana Erbrick and former two-term council member Derrick Donnell. Also in the race are former congressional candidate April Freeman, Kevin Koch, Mike Hollow and Dan Sheppard.

Erbrick and Donnell have years of experience in dealing with the city’s most complex issues, including the utility expansion project, the golf course and economic development opportunities.

Coviello, 62, who ran for city council six years ago and received The News-Press endorsement then, brings a strong knowledge of city finances to the table as chair of the budget review committee. He has been part of that committee for five years and reviewed the implementation of a fire assessment fee as a sustaining revenue source. He doesn’t want to burden residents with excessive taxes and supports City Manager John Szerlag’s plan to lower the tax rate and drop the fire assessment fee. He also is committed to public safety and is not willing to cut taxes if that means compromising services.

Cape Coral mayoral candidates talked with the News-Press editorial board about why they want the position and what their top priority will be if elected.
Andrea Melendez/news-press.com

We believe his knowledge of the budget will help guide the city’s revenue and expense challenges, especially next year when an anticipated new homestead exemption could cut into those revenues by about $3.5 million.

He works as a business consultant in the insurance industry and understands the need to build consensus and work cooperatively with a council as tough issues come before it.

The editorial board did not agree with an idea of a land swap with builder D.R. Horton, who wants to buy the old golf course property for residential development. Finding water front property for the builder in exchange for the golf course land is not what the builder wants, nor does it solve what to do with the golf course land. Coviello would like the city to develop it as a community recreation area, and while this is admirable, it is not in the city's plans.

Coviello believes continuing the utility expansion project to the northwest areas of the city is important, especially for developing the Seven Islands area and improving the commercial tax base. He does not believe the city should purchase the electric utility from LCEC, although he wants leverage with the company to “negotiate the best rates for citizens.”

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Graham Morris receives The News-Press endorsement for the Cape Coral City Council seat in District 1.(Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press)

Cape Coral District 1: Graham Morris

His land development and public safety administration background and a reasoned approach to government give Graham Morris our endorsement in District 1 to succeed Jim Burch, who decided not to seek another term.

His opponents are James Foraker and John Gunter, who turned down two opportunities to meet with the editorial board.

Morris, 32, who ran for city council in 2013 and lost, is receptive to a tax rate cut, single family residential development on the old golf course site, but with the need to preserve green space, and signing a new contract with LCEC. Above all, his top priority is public safety, supporting the needs of the police and fire departments, the need for more community policing in the downtown area and looking at potential traffic studies for busy thoroughfares, such as Pine Island Road.

“Cape police, they have unique challenges and the fire department, the way the city is, they don’t have one particularly bad area, but I want to find out what they need,” Morris said.

Cape Coral District 1 Candidates talked with the News-Press editorial board about why they want the position and what their top priority will be if elected.
Andrea Melendez/news-press.com

Morris knows the unbalanced environment that cripples the city with 88 percent residential development and only 12 percent commercial. He wants higher paying jobs brought to the city, possibly in the medical field, and believes meetings with those in the industry might help open doors to more attractive building regulations.

He wants to look at the city-acquired Seven Islands site for possible commercial development but is against annexing Matlacha, where property also was a part of the city’s massive land buy.

Foraker has public safety experience with 28 years in the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and also time as a volunteer fireman. He wants to make sure the budget fortifies the economic development office “to give them the tools and equipment to actively recruit businesses."

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Incumbent Richard Leon receives The News-Press endorsement for Cape Coral City Council in District 4.(Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press)

District 4: Richard Leon

Four years ago, he was the youngest ever to win a seat on the council. Now, at age 30, and armed with a stronger knowledge of the budget and city needs, as well as a desire to protect the interests of citizens, Richard Leon once again receives The News-Press endorsement for District 4, this time over Jennifer Nelson and Jeffrey Jones.

We believe his age is an advantage. He thinks like a young professional – because he is one. He wants a parks master plan that focuses on young families, on those 42 and under, and what they want. “We can’t think like we are 90 years old," he said.

That type of vision is appealing, especially when it includes a more vibrant downtown area and developing an outdoor destination, focusing on walking and riding trails, possibly along the western boundary of the city. That boundary is primarily mangroves and protected from housing or commercial development. He also eyes a beach and park off old Burnt Store Road to take advantage of money from the Tourism Development Council, which funds beach restoration at about $115 million a year.

Cape Coral District 4 Candidates talked with the News-Press editorial board about why they want the position and what their top priority will be if elected.
Andrea Melendez/news-press.com

He took a hard line on not developing the golf course but realizes the best use may be as single family residential, especially now that prospective new owner, D.R. Horton, is willing to give the city 11.5 acres of the property to develop as a park.

Leon doesn’t believe government should take advantage of extra revenue from increased property values and wants to look at reducing the tax rate by 25 cents per thousand dollars of value. He wants to sign a new franchise agreement with LCEC, but he also wants the electric utility “to grow with us,” and look at alternative power sources, like solar.

For infrastructure needs, we like that he wants to continue the city's safety priority of sidewalks within two miles of every school and continue to develop bike paths along major roads.

He supports subsidizing city-owned Sun Splash Water Park, but wants the municipal charter school system to not be reliant on city subsidies for services and look at outside sources for certain needs.

Nelson has experience in running non-profits and grant funding. She is executive director of Uncommon Friends Foundation.

Jones has 25 years of law enforcement experience with the Cape Coral Police Department and is an adjunct professor at Hodges University.